Commissioning a Portrait in Texas
Hazel Morgan provides a bespoke portrait painting service to clients throughout Texas. An award-winning artist with over four decades of professional experience, Hazel creates hand-painted oil portraits of exceptional quality for individuals, families, corporations, and institutions across the state.
From the boardroom to the family home, Hazel’s portraits have graced the walls of distinguished collectors, university halls, and corporate headquarters throughout Texas. Each commission begins with a personal consultation and results in a work of enduring artistic merit.
Portrait Artist Texas Area
As your trusted Portrait Artist Texas, Hazel Morgan serves portrait clients in Texas and the surrounding communities. Portraits are shipped directly to your door with professional packaging and full insurance coverage.
Portrait Services in Texas Communities
- Portrait Artist Travis County
- Portrait Artist Bexar County
- Portrait Artist Harris County
- Portrait Artist Dallas County
How to Commission a Portrait from Texas
Commissioning a portrait from Hazel Morgan is a collaborative and enjoyable experience, regardless of where you are located in Texas. The process has been refined over hundreds of commissions to ensure a seamless experience for every client.
Step 1: Initial Consultation
The process begins with a complimentary consultation - by telephone, video call, or email - during which Hazel discusses your vision for the portrait. This covers the subject, preferred composition, size, background, clothing, and any particular details you would like to include. There is no obligation at this stage.
Step 2: Photographs & References
For clients in Texas, Hazel can work from professional photographs, high-quality personal photographs, or a combination of multiple reference images. She provides clear guidance on the types of photographs that produce the best results. Where feasible, live sittings can also be arranged.
Step 3: The Painting Process
Once the composition is agreed, Hazel begins painting. The process typically takes between six and twelve weeks depending on the complexity of the piece. Clients receive progress photographs at key stages so you can see the portrait taking shape and provide feedback before completion.
Step 4: Delivery & Framing
Completed portraits are professionally packaged for shipping. Shipping and framing costs are provided once the painting is complete. Hazel can also recommend master framers who specialise in fine art framing to complement your finished portrait. Clients in Texas typically receive their portrait within one to two weeks of completion.
Why Clients in Texas Choose Hazel Morgan
Hazel Morgan brings a rare combination of artistic excellence, professional reliability, and personal warmth to every commission. Here is what sets her apart:
Over 40 years of professional experience - Hazel has been painting portraits professionally since the early 1980s, amassing a body of work that spans hundreds of commissions for private, corporate, and institutional clients worldwide.
Award-winning recognition - Her work has been exhibited at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, and other prestigious venues. She is a member of several leading art societies.
A personal, one-to-one service - Unlike studio operations, every portrait is painted entirely by Hazel herself. You deal directly with the artist from first consultation through to delivery, ensuring your vision is faithfully realised.
International shipping expertise - Hazel regularly ships completed portraits to clients across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and beyond. Every painting is professionally packaged to arrive in perfect condition.
Complete satisfaction guaranteed - Hazel works closely with each client throughout the painting process. Progress images are shared at every stage, and adjustments are made until you are completely happy with the finished portrait.
Frequently Asked Questions - Portrait Commissions in Texas
Hazel provides personalized quotations after an initial telephone consultation, during which she discusses your specific requirements. The consultation is complimentary and entirely without obligation. Please get in touch to arrange a convenient time to talk.
Not at all. The majority of Hazel’s commissions are painted from photographs, which makes the process convenient for clients in Texas and beyond. Hazel provides guidance on the best types of photographs to supply. Live sittings can be arranged where practical.
Most portraits are completed within six to twelve weeks from the start of painting, depending on the complexity of the commission. Hazel provides a realistic timeline during the initial consultation. Rush commissions can sometimes be accommodated for special occasions.
Hazel has extensive experience working with a range of photographic references, including older or lower-resolution images. She can often combine multiple photographs to create a single cohesive portrait. During the consultation, she will advise on whether your available photographs are suitable.
Completed portraits are professionally packaged using custom-built crating and shipped via insured courier directly to your address in Texas. Shipping and framing are quoted separately after the portrait is completed.
Client satisfaction is paramount. Hazel shares progress photographs at key stages throughout the painting process so you can provide feedback and request adjustments. This collaborative approach means that by the time the portrait is complete, it faithfully reflects your vision.
Why Hazel Loves Texas
Hazel admires Texas for its extraordinary sense of scale and character - qualities that feel almost tailor-made for a portrait painter. There is something deeply compelling about a place where the landscape stretches out without apology and the people carry themselves with a quiet, rooted confidence. Hazel has found that Texans tend to have a strong sense of who they are, and that self-assurance translates beautifully into portraiture. A subject who is comfortable in their own skin gives a painter so much to work with - the way they hold their gaze, the ease in their posture, the stories written into the lines of their face. Texas, perhaps more than anywhere else she has worked, delivers that kind of sitter time and time again.
Hazel loves the rich cultural life that Texas nurtures alongside its wide-open spaces. The Menil Collection in Houston, for instance, is the kind of place that reminds her why art matters so profoundly - its intimate galleries and thoughtful curation speak to a community that takes creativity seriously. She has spent quiet afternoons wandering its rooms, drawing inspiration from the way light falls across a painted face, then carried that energy straight back to her own easel. The arts scene in Texas is not merely alive; it is genuinely passionate, and Hazel finds that spirit contagious in the very best way.
Hazel also admires the distinct neighbourhoods and communities that give Texas its layered, human texture. The historic King William District in San Antonio, with its graceful architecture and deep sense of heritage, reminds her that place and identity are always intertwined. She sees that connection reflected in the faces of her Texas clients - people who carry their roots with real pride. Whether she is painting a rancher from the Hill Country or a Houston family portrait, she notices that her subjects bring a tangible sense of belonging to the sitting, and that quality gives her work warmth and depth she treasures.
Hazel also loves the warmth and generosity Texans extend so naturally to others. Clients here tend to welcome her into their homes and their stories with an openness that makes the whole process feel like a genuine collaboration rather than a commission. That mutual trust, she believes, is what allows a portrait to move beyond likeness and become something truly meaningful - a lasting record of a person, painted with care and with joy.
Ready to Commission Your Portrait?
Begin with a complimentary, no-obligation consultation. Hazel would love to discuss your portrait ideas and provide a personalized quotation for clients in Texas.
Request a Free ConsultationTexas Regions Hazel Paints Portraits In
the Texas Hill Country, the Piney Woods of East Texas, the Blackland Prairies, the Gulf Coast and Coastal Bend, the Rio Grande Valley, the South Texas Brush Country, the Edwards Plateau, the Llano Estacado and High Plains, the Permian Basin, the Big Bend and Trans-Pecos, the Cross Timbers, and the Panhandle.
Texas Counties Hazel Paints Portraits In
Anderson, Andrews, Angelina, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Atascosa, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Baylor, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Camp, Cass, Chambers, Cherokee, Collin, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Cooke, Coryell, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Dallam, Dallas, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Denton, DeWitt, Dimmit, Donley, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, El Paso, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Fisher, Floyd, Fort Bend, Franklin, Freestone, Frio, Gaines, Galveston, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Gray, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Howard, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson, Jack, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Johnson, Jones, Karnes, Kaufman, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, Kleberg, Lamar, Lampasas, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Live Oak, Llano, Lubbock, Madison, Marion, Matagorda, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Midland, Milam, Mills, Mitchell, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Morris, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Nolan, Nueces, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Pecos, Polk, Potter, Presidio, Rains, Randall, Reagan, Real, Red River, Reeves, Refugio, Robertson, Rockwall, Runnels, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Saba, Scurry, Shelby, Smith, Somervell, Starr, Stephens, Sterling, Tarrant, Taylor, Terry, Titus, Tom Green, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Ward, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Winkler, Wise, Wood, Young, Zapata and Zavala.
Towns in Texas Where Hazel’s Portrait Clients Live
Highland Park, University Park, Preston Hollow, Bluffview, Volk Estates, Turtle Creek, Lakewood, Dallas, Westlake, Vaquero, Southlake, Colleyville, Frisco, Plano, Prosper, Celina, McKinney, Fairview, Rockwall, River Oaks, Memorial, Tanglewood, Piney Point Village, Bunker Hill Village, Hunters Creek Village, West University Place, Southside Place, Houston, The Woodlands, Kingwood, Sugar Land, Katy, Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, Olmos Park, Stone Oak, San Antonio, Tarrytown, Westlake Hills, Rollingwood, Barton Creek, Lake Austin, Austin, Horseshoe Bay, Fredericksburg, Boerne, Comfort, Kerrville, Marfa, Fort Worth, Westover Hills, Rivercrest, Galveston and Corpus Christi.
Missions, Cattle and Oil: The Many Art Histories of Texas
Texas is large enough that it has never had one art history, and its portrait tradition reflects that. Spanish missions, German immigrant painters, cattle and cotton fortunes, oil money, and some of the best-endowed museums in the United States have all left a mark. What connects them is scale: Texans have generally commissioned art on the assumption that there is plenty of wall.
The land holds one of the great bodies of ancient art in North America. The Pecos River style rock paintings in the canyons near Seminole Canyon and the lower Pecos, made by hunter-gatherer peoples several thousand years ago, include large painted human figures of striking sophistication. The Caddo of East Texas, and later the Comanche, Apache, Karankawa and Tonkawa, each maintained distinct visual traditions of hide painting, pottery, beadwork and ornament.
Spanish settlement brought European religious imagery. The missions established around San Antonio from 1718 were furnished with painting and sculpture from Mexico, and the santero tradition of carved and painted devotional figures took root along the Rio Grande. Portraiture in this period was largely confined to clergy and colonial officials.
The Republic of Texas years produced a demand for portraits of the men who had made it. Painters recorded Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin and the officers of the republic, and those images did as much as anything to fix how Texas saw itself. They are political documents as much as likenesses.
German immigration in the 1840s and 1850s brought trained artists to the Hill Country. Hermann Lungkwitz and Richard Petri, brothers-in-law who had studied in Dresden, settled near Fredericksburg and painted the landscape and the people around them, including sensitive studies of their Comanche and Lipan Apache neighbours. Their arrival gave Texas a European academic standard decades earlier than most Western states.
Elisabet Ney brought something similar in sculpture. German-born and already established in Europe, she settled in Austin in 1873 and produced portrait busts and full-length figures of Houston and Austin that stand in the Texas Capitol and the United States Capitol. Her Austin studio is now a museum, and she remains the state’s most significant nineteenth-century portrait sculptor.
The twentieth century brought a regional painting movement. The group known as the Dallas Nine, working in the 1930s and including Jerry Bywaters and Alexandre Hogue, painted the Southwest with a hard clarity that owed nothing to European romanticism. Hogue’s Dust Bowl paintings in particular are among the most severe American images of the period.
Then came the museums, funded on a scale few states could match. The Dallas Museum of Art traces its origins to 1903 and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to the same era. Fort Worth acquired the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in 1961 and, in 1972, the Kimbell Art Museum, whose small and exceptionally chosen collection of European painting is among the finest in the country. The Menil Collection opened in Houston in 1987.
This matters for portraiture because it changed the audience. A Texan commissioning a portrait today may well have grown up looking at Kimbell Old Masters on a school trip. The expectation of quality is high, and clients here are often more comfortable with ambitious scale than clients elsewhere.
Oil, land, banking and more recently technology have concentrated wealth in identifiable places. Highland Park and Preston Hollow in Dallas, River Oaks and the Memorial villages in Houston, Alamo Heights and Olmos Park in San Antonio, Westlake Hills and Tarrytown in Austin, and Westover Hills in Fort Worth are where the state’s portrait commissions overwhelmingly originate.
Texas also sustains an unusually strong institutional portrait tradition. Universities, law firms, banks, ranching families, hospitals and the state’s own capitol maintain collections of formal portraits, and the convention of marking a presidency, a chairmanship or a long career with a commissioned painting remains entirely ordinary here.
The characteristic Texas commission is a family painting made to hang somewhere prominent, and made large. Children, a matriarch, a couple at an anniversary, a rancher with a horse. Underneath the scale, though, the motive is the same as anywhere: a family that intends to stay put wants the faces recorded properly, once, by hand, for the people who come after.